Opulent Ethics new Ivoire Innovantes range

You may have heard Opulent Ethics talking about the vegetable ivory that we have been experimenting and working with over the past few months?

Well here it is…Opulent Ethics’ latest Thai inspired range of jewellery; the Ivoire Innovantes Range.

Opulent Ethics' Prajam Yam vegetable ivory and 100% recyced UK silver ring

The range currently consists of 3 rings and 2 pairs of matching earrings. Each piece contains some vegetable ivory and is made using 100% recycled UK silver. There is also some Oro Verde 9 carat gold used in one of the pieces.

Opulent Ethics' Phoom Kao vegetable ivory and 100% recycled UK silver earrings

For those of you who don’t know, vegetable ivory, otherwise known as tagua nut, comes from the Amazonian tagua tree. Each nut is dried in the sun for between 6 – 8 weeks until it becomes hard.

Tagua nuts in their raw form 

The nut, once the skin is removed, is similar in colour to animal ivory but that is where the similarity stops. The tagua nut is a bi-product of the tagua tree whose roots are used in medicine, leaves are used for the roofing of houses in local communities and dust from the trees is also added to animal feed due to its high energy content.

The nut is very hard so is perfect for carving, milling, cutting, lasering, turning…anything that you want to try can be done. Opulent Ethics used a laser cutter-marker to shape and mark slices of our nut and the result gives a beautiful, slightly burnt appearance to the vegetable ivory…perfect!

That’s all for now….